Music. Concert line.

The Best Bar Bands, Bar None

May 09, 1997|By Rick Reger.

If the term "bar band" was once merely descriptive, it has since become pejorative, connoting mediocrity and convention. But this weekend, FITZGERALD'S hosts two bar bands whose unconventionality and brilliance transcend such labeling. On Friday, NRBQ (pictured above) comes to town trailing a 30-year legacy of blending influences such as Johnny Cash, Sun Ra and '60s rock into toe-tapping, sometimes cockeyed pop that's infectious and original. On Saturday, Missouri's SKELETONS arrive with its incendiary mix of rootsy roadhouse chops and hook-strewn songcraft. The quartet has backed folks like Dave Alvin and Jonathan Richman, but its superlative new LP, "Nothing to Lose," deservedly moves the Skeletons into the spotlight. 6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn. 708-788-2118.

Silver Apples, Thursday at the Double Door: Formed in 1967, Silver Apples was a drums and electronic paraphernalia duo that released two legendary LPs, "Silver Apples" (1968) and "Contact" (1969), filled with droning, minimalist, bent sound wave songs that pioneered and anticipated both techno and kraut-rock. Silver Apples leader Simeon has reformed the band as a trio and released a new, Cargo-distributed single, "Fractal Flow," that's plenty spacey but more harmonically conventional and less otherworldly than his '60s oeuvre. 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-489-3160.

Bobby "Blue" Bland, Saturday at House of Blues: Over a 50-year career, Bobby "Blue" Bland has only fleetingly tasted the commercial success of younger legends like Aretha Franklin and Al Green, but it was Bland's gritty, gospel-blues singing and horn-stoked R&B that helped define the sound of classic soul. While Bland's recent records have occasionally included odd covers and schmaltzy arrangements, they've also showcased a still-potent voice and knack for smoldering R&B. 329 N. Dearborn St. 312-923-2000.

Poster Children, Saturday at Metro: At a time when there are too many rock bands putting out too many derivative records, the Poster Children manage to sound like no one else without doing anything particularly "innovative." On its new offering, "RTFM," the quartet fuses swaggering power chords, home-brewed techno-delia, pop melodies and dissonant clatter into a distinctive, inviting wail. 3730 N. Clark St. 773-549-0203.

Other concerts

The Offspring, Tuesday at the Aragon and Wednesday at the Riviera: The fact that fortune has bestowed enormous success on this quartet (whose hard-charging So-Cal skate punk is indistinguishable from countless others) only underscores life's seeming randomness. On its new LP, "Ixnay on the Hombre," the Offspring varies its attack by throwing some Jane's Addiction-esque numbers among the Orange County delinquency anthems. But it's doubtful that pop-metal excursions into PerryFarrellLand count as improvements. Aragon: 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. 312-559-1212. Riviera: 4746 N. Racine Ave. 312-559-1212.

Sounds of Blackness, Monday at House of Blues: This sprawling ensemble was founded 25 years ago in the Twin Cities as a gospel troupe but has since evolved an uplifting, harmony-laden brand of R&B . Fifty cents from every ticket sold on the group's currenttour will be donated to a rehabilitation fund for beating victim Lenard Clark. 329 N. Dearborn St. 312-923-2000.

Widespread Panic, Friday at the Aragon: On their new record, "Bombs & Butterflies," these Georgia jammers use boogie-ing funk/blues as a springboard for taut instrumental forays steeped in Southern rock tradition. Evoking Manassas, the Allman Brothers and Sea Level, Widespread Panic doesn't so much rework that tradition as reiterate it, but the band's tie-dyed minions don't seem to mind. 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. 312-559-1212.

Lori Carson, Wednesday at Schubas: Merging the brittleness of dying rose petals with the hushed melancholy of a snowfall, Lori Carson's songs exude wistfulness like the soft throbbing moan of a cello. On her recent "Everything I Touch Runs Wild" LP, the part-time Golden Palominos chanteuse employs cellos, pianos, muted trumpets and other sad sounds to conjure up fragile songs soaked in a longing-meets-despair ambiance that, while lovely, is sometimes more atmospheric than expressive. 3159 N. Southport Ave. 773-525-2508.

Martin Simpson, Friday at the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale: An acclaimed steel string acoustic guitarist, British folkie Martin Simpson has performed over the last 20 years with genre heavies like June Tabor and Martin Carthy. With his wife, Jessica Ruby Simpson, and Band of Angels, Simpson's recent "Band of Angels" LP leans toward decorous, watercolor-toned ballads and purling vocal harmonies. 17 W. Maple St., Hinsdale. 708-579-5695.

Back again: Better Than Ezra, Friday at Metro; Emmylou Harris, Friday at House of Blues; the Descendents, Friday at the Congress Theatre; Luscious Jackson, Thursday at Metro; the Band, Tuesday at House of Blues.